“He who first shortened the labour of copyists by device of movable types was disbanding hired armies, and cashiering most kings and senates, and creating a whole new democratic world: he invented the art of printing.” – Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, 1833
A portrait of Johannes Gutenberg
For many years, people used pens and paper to write down and share their ideas. The earliest books were written by hand. This was so slow that books were rare and expensive, and read only by the number of people who could read and write. The invention of the printing press in 1942, by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg, changed the world. It made books cheaper and more plentiful, greatly speeding up the spread of knowledge and ideas. Gutenberg’s printing press ranks among the most important inventions of all time as it has massively reproduced literature, bringing the light of the written word to everyone in the world. Little is known of Johannes Gutenberg himself as many aspects of his life remain blank or unknown. However as historians this triggers an additional train of thought, as we ponder the virtual obscurity of a man in contrast to his success in changing the world, through simply the invention of a printing press.
Why can Johannes Gutenberg be regarded as the most significant person of World History???
The question can and should be posed on Johannes Gutenberg: who was this man and what was the significance of his invention? Gutenberg's printing press was the foundation for all modern presses. Even up until a hundred years ago, the same basic principle was still used to produce literature. If you think about it, Gutenberg's printing press has influenced every aspect of our lives. You are on the Internet right now. If the printing press was never invented, how could the Internet exist? Have you read a newspaper or magazine lately? Without the printing press, such materials couldn’t be read so excessively. If the printing press hadn’t come into existence, people today would be writing out books, magazines, newspapers and bibles by hand, just like those of the humanists, scribes and scholars in the 15th century. The press as a tool of political and cultural change ensured the world would never be the same again. In the many years after its invention, news of scientific and geographic discoveries quickly began to circulate, medical texts were published with detailed anatomical illustrations and mass communication became possible on a scale that was unparalleled. Gutenberg the man may still be a mystery, but his invention helped to enlighten the world in a way that was impossible with manuscripts. Today, printing is very different from the process used in Gutenberg's workshop. By modern standards, Gutenberg's printing process may seem slow and tedious; compositors put type together by hand, and a skilled compositor could assemble 2,000 characters or letters in an hour. A computer can arrange the same number of characters in about two seconds. Today, more words are being printed every second than were printed every year during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Up until the nineteenth century, printers were still being completed each step by hand, just as in Gutenberg's printshop. As technology evolved, inventors adapted these new technologies to revolutionize printing. Steam engines and, later, electrical engines were incorporated into the design of printing presses. In the 1970s, computers were integrated into the printing process. Gutenberg's invention laid the foundation for the commercial mass production of books, and with the adaptations and success of the printers and publishers that soon followed; books became cheaper and more plentiful with wider sections of society able to afford them. Soon, more people were able to participate in important political, cultural, and theological debates, which led to dramatic changes in society, such as the Reformation. Within 25 years of the printing of Gutenberg's Bible, printing workshops were established throughout Europe, including those in Paris, London, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands. Gutenberg's printing press ranks among the most important inventions of all time as it massively reproduced literature, bringing the light of the written word to everyone in the world. Due to such an achievement by one relatively obscure man, I have ranked Gutenberg as the most influential person in world history.
Without innovation the internet would still look like this: Gutenberg's printing press (photograph by Mathais Kabal)
Timeline of Achievements and Contribution to World History (challenges, cost of their influence and specific idea or ambition)
The first printed books were in the official language of the Roman Catholic Church that only priests and scholars could understand, making it virtually impossible to spread information. Books helped to spread awareness of a new philosophy that emerged when Renaissance scholars, known as humanists, returned to the works of the ancient writers as previously, during the middle ages, scholars had been guided by the teachings of the church. The spreading of ideas initiated the Renaissance or “rebirth” of Europe. People began to question the behaviour of the Roman Catholic Church as now the written word was deciphered and the New Testament which previously remained untaught could be recognized. This extensive criticism of the church led to a fellow renaissance movement, the Reformation. Rebellion against the domination of the Catholic Church spread across Europe from 1500, which began by Martin Luther, who openly opposed the selling of “indulgences”. The printing press helped his cause as he was able to publish pamphlets that circulated throughout Europe, helping to end the dominance of the church.
c. 1398
Born in Mainz, Germany
1430
Gutenberg moved to Strasbourg and set up a business with Johann Fust (c.1400-66), who was to acquire money for the equipment needed for the printing press.
1436
Gutenberg begins working on the printing press
1442
Invented the printing press
1446
Gutenberg prints the "Poem of the Last Judgment"
1448
Gutenberg prints the "Calendar for 1448"
1454
Gutenberg prints indulgences (notes sold to Christians by the Pope pardoning their sins)
1456
First book was printed using the printing press, the famous Gutenberg bible. Gutenberg was estimated to have completed 200 copies of the bible in his lifetime. Fust insisted his money back from Gutenberg as he wished for his own business. Gutenberg was effectively bankrupt. This was a significant cost to Gutenberg’s achievement as his inability to pay left him penniless.
1457
Fust printed a Book of Psalms, which was mainly Gutenberg’s work. He was faced with the cost of having someone “steal” his invention after inventing such a remarkable piece of machinery.
Feb 3, 1468
Passed away in Mainz, Germany
The Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg's idea of a printing press came to him during the time he spent in the monastery libraries where he watched the monks copy books out by hand. Gutenberg wished to devise a quicker method, so developed an idea that letters of the alphabet could be cast on separate blocks of metal, called "movable type", that could be used to form words.
Historical Perspectives
Sebastian Brant wrote just after 1500:
In our time, thanks to the talent and industry of those from the Rhine, books have emerged in lavish numbers. A book that once would've belonged only to the rich -- nay, to a king -- can now be seen under a modest roof. ... There is nothing nowadays that our children ... fail to know.
Brant has primarily addressed the availability of books. He has highlighted the significant impact that Gutenberg's printing press has had on book production and their cost. Evidently, before the printing press a book ..would've belonged to the rich as the written word was scarce. In 1500 however the increased accessibility of owning a book meant knowledge could be delivered to a wider audience. One may wonder, does Brant know that he was seeing all those books being pulled from their threads out of medieval social fabric?
Mark Twain, legendary American author wrote, 1900:
“The whole world admits unhesitantly; and there can be no doubt about this, that Gutenberg’s invention is the incomparably greatest event in the history of the world”
Mark Twain's view can be justified by the fact that the printing press had an immediate success on the European continent and later the external world. Gutenberg's invention was successful in initiating a period of prosperity, known as the Renaissance, which transformed the fabric of society as it provoked an age of learning and affluence.
Legacy
Gutenberg’s printing press was the foundation for all modern presses. Even up until a hundred years ago, the same basic principle was still the primary source used to produce literature. Only in the last century has the design of the printing machine dramatically improved. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press could truly have been a world-changing invention as it allowed more material to be printed in a day than a scribe could forge in a year. Hundreds of more books could be oriented in large quantities which lowered the price of books, making them more readily available to people of all classes. Most substantially however, was its impact on “reforming” society as the period known as the Middle Ages was transformed into a period of learning and prosperity, known as the renaissance. It has been estimated that there were perhaps 30 000 books in all of Europe before Gutenberg printed his Bible; less than 50 years later, there were as many as 10 to 12 million.
Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press (artist unknown) c. 1510
#1 Most influential person in World History .....
JOHANNES GUTENBERG (c. 1398 – 1468)
“He who first shortened the labour of copyists by device of movable types was disbanding hired armies, and cashiering most kings and senates, and creating a whole new democratic world: he invented the art of printing.” – Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, 1833
For many years, people used pens and paper to write down and share their ideas. The earliest books were written by hand. This was so slow that books were rare and expensive, and read only by the number of people who could read and write. The invention of the printing press in 1942, by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg, changed the world. It made books cheaper and more plentiful, greatly speeding up the spread of knowledge and ideas. Gutenberg’s printing press ranks among the most important inventions of all time as it has massively reproduced literature, bringing the light of the written word to everyone in the world. Little is known of Johannes Gutenberg himself as many aspects of his life remain blank or unknown. However as historians this triggers an additional train of thought, as we ponder the virtual obscurity of a man in contrast to his success in changing the world, through simply the invention of a printing press.
Why can Johannes Gutenberg be regarded as the most significant person of World History???
The question can and should be posed on Johannes Gutenberg: who was this man and what was the significance of his invention?
Gutenberg's printing press was the foundation for all modern presses. Even up until a hundred years ago, the same basic principle was still used to produce literature. If you think about it, Gutenberg's printing press has influenced every aspect of our lives. You are on the Internet right now. If the printing press was never invented, how could the Internet exist? Have you read a newspaper or magazine lately? Without the printing press, such materials couldn’t be read so excessively. If the printing press hadn’t come into existence, people today would be writing out books, magazines, newspapers and bibles by hand, just like those of the humanists, scribes and scholars in the 15th century.
The press as a tool of political and cultural change ensured the world would never be the same again. In the many years after its invention, news of scientific and geographic discoveries quickly began to circulate, medical texts were published with detailed anatomical illustrations and mass communication became possible on a scale that was unparalleled. Gutenberg the man may still be a mystery, but his invention helped to enlighten the world in a way that was impossible with manuscripts.
Today, printing is very different from the process used in Gutenberg's workshop. By modern standards, Gutenberg's printing process may seem slow and tedious; compositors put type together by hand, and a skilled compositor could assemble 2,000 characters or letters in an hour. A computer can arrange the same number of characters in about two seconds. Today, more words are being printed every second than were printed every year during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Up until the nineteenth century, printers were still being completed each step by hand, just as in Gutenberg's printshop. As technology evolved, inventors adapted these new technologies to revolutionize printing. Steam engines and, later, electrical engines were incorporated into the design of printing presses. In the 1970s, computers were integrated into the printing process.
Gutenberg's invention laid the foundation for the commercial mass production of books, and with the adaptations and success of the printers and publishers that soon followed; books became cheaper and more plentiful with wider sections of society able to afford them. Soon, more people were able to participate in important political, cultural, and theological debates, which led to dramatic changes in society, such as the Reformation. Within 25 years of the printing of Gutenberg's Bible, printing workshops were established throughout Europe, including those in Paris, London, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands.
Gutenberg's printing press ranks among the most important inventions of all time as it massively reproduced literature, bringing the light of the written word to everyone in the world. Due to such an achievement by one relatively obscure man, I have ranked Gutenberg as the most influential person in world history.
Timeline of Achievements and Contribution to World History (challenges, cost of their influence and specific idea or ambition)
The first printed books were in the official language of the Roman Catholic Church that only priests and scholars could understand, making it virtually impossible to spread information. Books helped to spread awareness of a new philosophy that emerged when Renaissance scholars, known as humanists, returned to the works of the ancient writers as previously, during the middle ages, scholars had been guided by the teachings of the church. The spreading of ideas initiated the Renaissance or “rebirth” of Europe. People began to question the behaviour of the Roman Catholic Church as now the written word was deciphered and the New Testament which previously remained untaught could be recognized. This extensive criticism of the church led to a fellow renaissance movement, the Reformation. Rebellion against the domination of the Catholic Church spread across Europe from 1500, which began by Martin Luther, who openly opposed the selling of “indulgences”. The printing press helped his cause as he was able to publish pamphlets that circulated throughout Europe, helping to end the dominance of the church.
Fust insisted his money back from Gutenberg as he wished for his own business. Gutenberg was effectively bankrupt. This was a significant cost to Gutenberg’s achievement as his inability to pay left him penniless.
Gutenberg's idea of a printing press came to him during the time he spent in the monastery libraries where he watched the monks copy books out by hand. Gutenberg wished to devise a quicker method, so developed an idea that letters of the alphabet could be cast on separate blocks of metal, called "movable type", that could be used to form words.
Historical Perspectives
Sebastian Brant wrote just after 1500:
In our time, thanks to the talent and industry of those from the Rhine, books have emerged in lavish numbers. A book that once would've belonged only to the rich -- nay, to a king -- can now be seen under a modest roof. ... There is nothing nowadays that our children ... fail to know.
Brant has primarily addressed the availability of books. He has highlighted the significant impact that Gutenberg's printing press has had on book production and their cost. Evidently, before the printing press a book ..would've belonged to the rich as the written word was scarce. In 1500 however the increased accessibility of owning a book meant knowledge could be delivered to a wider audience. One may wonder, does Brant know that he was seeing all those books being pulled from their threads out of medieval social fabric?
Mark Twain, legendary American author wrote, 1900:
“The whole world admits unhesitantly; and there can be no doubt about this, that Gutenberg’s invention is the incomparably greatest event in the history of the world”
Mark Twain's view can be justified by the fact that the printing press had an immediate success on the European continent and later the external world. Gutenberg's invention was successful in initiating a period of prosperity, known as the Renaissance, which transformed the fabric of society as it provoked an age of learning and affluence.
Legacy
Gutenberg’s printing press was the foundation for all modern presses. Even up until a hundred years ago, the same basic principle was still the primary source used to produce literature. Only in the last century has the design of the printing machine dramatically improved. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press could truly have been a world-changing invention as it allowed more material to be printed in a day than a scribe could forge in a year. Hundreds of more books could be oriented in large quantities which lowered the price of books, making them more readily available to people of all classes. Most substantially however, was its impact on “reforming” society as the period known as the Middle Ages was transformed into a period of learning and prosperity, known as the renaissance. It has been estimated that there were perhaps 30 000 books in all of Europe before Gutenberg printed his Bible; less than 50 years later, there were as many as 10 to 12 million.